Revised MARPOL Annex V: Just Who Should Take Out The Trash?

Following a review by the Correspondence Group established by the Marine Environment Protection Committee in 2006, various amendments to MARPOL Annex V Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships took effect on 1 January 2013.

The revised Annex now prohibits the discharge of all garbage into the sea, with limited exceptions. Importantly, this prohibition now affects the disposal of cargo residues and this client alert will focus on those amendments which change the way cargo residues are considered, especially when they are classified as harmful to the marine environment (“HME”).